Present with confidence

Once you become a leader in business, you will need to speak in public. But how do you create a speech that can connect with any audience?

The reality is, that speaking in front of a group of people is best learnt by doing.

If you are prepared to take action and become part of the 10% of people in the world who are not afraid of speaking in public then this article is for you.

?Make your audience CRAVE for more content!

·??????????????C =Connect with your audience

Before you speak, arrive early and talk to the delegates in the room. Meet the people in the front row. Ask them what they are looking forward to listening today. Get some names and stories of people sitting in the audience. By doing this your levels of confidence increases as you realise that you have a message that your audience is here to listen to. You can also use the names of people within your presentation to create a special connection with the audience.

·??????????????R= Reinforce your message

At the end of your presentation, people will naturally want to come up to you and give you some feedback on what you can do differently. Your response to them should be, “Yes I would like the feedback, but not right now!” Immediately after your talk you are still a bit vulnerable – you took a risk and spoke in front of people. You first want time to self-assess your own performance before listening to the views of other people. When reviewing your presentation, ask yourself, “What is working” “What caused it to work?” “What did not work” “What did you learn” “What can be done differently next time”.

·?????????????A=Assert with confidence

When you are on stage you are perceived to be an authority figure on your topic. So assert your statements convincingly. Whilst you may be addressing a group remember to speak to one. So avoid saying things like, “When your’ll go back to the office your’ll…” instead, “When you go back to the office, you should…” This makes your message more personal – as if you were speaking to one person.

·??????????????V=Vocal variety

???????????To avoid being a monologue speaker apply the following to bring vocal ???variety to your message:

1. Pace: slow down for key statements

2. Pitch: sad or excited voice relative to message

3. Power: high volume to exaggerate words; soften for impact.

4. Pause: for greater emphasis.

?·??????????????E=Engage

???????????Remember the 5P’s to be an engaging speaker

1.Be Prepared

2.Be Personable

3.Be Polished

4.Be Practical

5.Be Profound